


kintsukuroi

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Series: Time and Chance [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cursed Hyperion Heights, Established Relationship, F/M, Hyperion Heights, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 11:19:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16809592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: It's not something she craves for her own sense of self, but when he freely offers her such words of love, it buoys her, repairs another chink in her heart.





	kintsukuroi

**Author's Note:**

> Date Written: 13 November - 1 December 2018  
> Word Count: 1463  
> Written for: #Giftmas2018  
> Recipient: CaptRegina  
> Summary: It's not something she craves for her own sense of self, but when he freely offers her such words of love, it buoys her, repairs another chink in her heart.  
> Spoilers: Canon divergent AU that takes place approximately six months before the events of my fic "this is the time", which takes place prior to the events of ep 07x01 "Hyperion Heights". This also takes place well before the events of my fic "where the lovelight gleams"  
> Warnings: No standard warnings apply.  
> Series: Time and Chance  
> Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Doggie Duo  
> Link to: http://bdkk.shatterstorm.net/  
> Archive: ShatterStorm Productions & AO3 only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…  
> Feedback: Constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> Author’s Disclaimer: "Once Upon a Time," the characters, and situations depicted are the property of Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Kitsis/Horowitz, and ABC Studios. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "Once Upon a Time," ABC, or any representatives of the actors.
> 
> Author’s Notes: This was supposed to be something kinda sexy and fun, then it morphed into some sort of angsty hurt/comfort thing, that _then_ morphed into this sweet, shmoopy piece. Anyone who says that my Regina/Roni muses don't change their moods on a whim has never met my Regina/Roni muses…
> 
> Dedication: My muses, as usual…
> 
> Beta: Jessa's the best!

_"I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion."  
_ \-- Yohji Yamamoto

****_kintsukuroi_  
_\-- (n) (v.phr.) "to repair with gold"; the art of repairing pottery with gold or silver lacquer and understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken  
_

Roni is up to her eyeballs in paperwork, half-full bottle of whiskey and an empty can of Coke to her left, the remnants of a salmon melt and fries on a plate to her right. The girls left about two hours ago, but sleep still eludes her. Exhaustion wreaks havoc on her concentration, and she debates making a pot of coffee to stay awake. But first just close her eyes for a moment or two to relieve the burning.

That's all. Just a minute or two…

"Roni?"

She wrinkles her nose and mumbles, not even sure what it is she's saying. She bats her hand at whatever is tickling her cheek.

"Come on, babe, wake up."

That's Jim's voice. How did he get into the office without her knowing? That ticklish sensation happens again, and she realizes belatedly that he's stroking her cheek.

"Jim?"

"Hey there, beautiful. Come on, let's get you upstairs to bed, hmm?"

"Time zit?"

He chuckles softly as she leans into his touch to stand up. "It's about three in the morning. I just got home a bit ago. Couldn't find you upstairs, so thought I'd see if you were still down here." He presses a gentle kiss to her cheek. "What are you doing down here?"

"Couldn't sleep," she mumbles around a yawn, shifting to snuggle into his chest. "Paperwork."

"So I see." She can hear the smile in his voice. "How about we head upstairs and get some proper sleep, and you can come down in the morning and finish up here?"

Roni hums noncommittally, snuggling closer against the warm solid muscles of his chest. The steady, muffled _thub-dub_ of his heartbeat under her cheek is comforting and starts to lull her back to sleep. "Jus' fine here. Don' move." His chuckle jostles her, and she wrinkles her nose with a disgruntled groan. "Stop moving!"

"Babe, I am not going to let you sleep standing up like this. We'll head upstairs and you can stretch out in that comfy bed of ours, hmm?" When she nods, she feels his lips press against her hair. "Can you walk upstairs by yourself or should I carry you?"

***

The next thing Roni knows, she's jerking awake with a loud cry from a charley horse in her left calf. The pain is so intense, she can't move, frozen in a half-ball with tears falling down her cheeks. She wants to stretch out her leg, wants to roll over, wants to sit up and press her foot flat to the floor. Anything to ease the overwhelming pain. All she can do is lay there and cry at the pain.

"Roni?" Jim's soothing, sleepy voice cuts through the haze. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"Ch-Charley horse," she manages to get out. "Can't move."

"Okay, babe, I've got you. Which leg?"

"L-Left. Fuck, it hurts!"

"Shh, it's okay, Roni. I've got you. Just try to relax." Jim shifts to sit up. "Close your eyes while I turn on the light." 

She does as he asks, then whimpers as he carefully rolls her onto her stomach and strokes a hand down her left calf. His fingers move steadily, light touches at first that gradually get stronger as he massages away the cramp. She tries to pull her leg from him, swearing repeatedly, vociferously, between gasping sobs. She's not even sure how much time passes before her calf finally doesn't feel tight enough to snap in half, but her lungs ache and her throat and eyes feel raw and burnt. Jim's touch gentles and shifts to work the length of her left leg before moving to repeat the massage on her right.

"Better now, babe?" he finally asks, shifting up to press a kiss to her temple. She feels his lips curl up in a smile when she nods. "Good. I'm gonna go get you a banana. Do you want anything else?"

She shakes her head. "J-Just hurry back?"

"Before you even notice I'm gone."

He presses another kiss to her temple, then gets out of bed and pads out of the bedroom toward the kitchen. She stays on her stomach, half-expecting the tenderness in her calf to explode into another charley horse. A handful of slow, deep breaths help to calm her nerves and racing heart, and she feels exhaustion creeping in again. Her eyes droop heavily as she hears Jim coming back, whistling softly. That makes her smile. The sound of him singing, whistling, or humming often fills the loft, and it eases any stress she has almost immediately.

"You still with me, Roni?"

"Mm-hmm," she murmurs with a sleepy smile, automatically reaching for him as he climbs back into bed.

"Need you to sit up to eat this. Don't want you to choke, right?" When she gingerly turns on her side to face him, he chuckles. "If I'd been any longer, you'd be asleep now, wouldn't you?" She hums and shrugs, opening her mouth expectantly. Jim chuckles and breaks off a piece of banana to feed her. "I love it when you're like this," he says finally.

She makes sure to swallow before replying, "Like what?"

"Sweet and sleepy." He offers her another piece of banana, sharing the fruit with her. "When you let the stress go, you look so beautiful, babe. And when you smile? Incandescent with beauty."

She feels her cheeks flush at the compliment. It's not something she craves for her own sense of self, but when he freely offers her such words of love, it buoys her, repairs another chink in her heart. She read once about this technique among the Japanese for repairing broken pottery that involved gold. It doesn't hide the flaws being repaired, but highlights them as a part of the history of the piece. After all these years of love and care from Jim, she swears her heart must be riddled with golden veins. A part of her wishes she could reach into her chest and pull out her heart, just to see how it looks, realize how strong and resilient she truly is.

"You still with me, Roni?"

His voice pulls her out her thoughts and she smiles at him. "Mm-hmm," she replies softly. "Just got lost in my thoughts."

"I have a penny if you need it."

She loves his way of offering her the sounding board she sometimes needs. He only pushes when she's being particularly stubborn, and she knows that. It's something she treasures about her husband. He's so much more sensitive and giving than she is; it balances out her brash, rough edges, making them a beautiful piece of art in which she hopes she never tires of her place. Her eyes track his movements as he pulls the last bit of the banana from the skin, holding it out toward her until she shakes her head before popping it in his own mouth.

"I may need your eyes tomorrow once we've both slept," she finally says. "I'm trying to figure out where we can pull the funds to give the staff the raises they deserve. That's what had me up tonight." She smiles sheepishly as he quirks a brow. "Well, that and the fact that you know how much I hate trying to sleep without you spooned up behind me."

Jim swallows the food and licks his lips before leaning in to kiss her gently. "Let me go throw this out in the kitchen, then I'll be back to be your big spoon. Once we've had some decent sleep, you and I can go over the books and see what we can do. Maybe Weaver and I can have a little chat with your distributor. I think he's been overcharging you and skimming the extra for himself, but I haven't been able to prove it yet."

"That's what I thought, too," she replies, a yawn cutting off the rest of her thought. Jim kisses her again, then gets up to toss out the banana peel. Roni carefully slips out of bed and minces to the bathroom. Bladder relieved, she carefully returns to bed and Jim comes back into the room.

"Your calf still tender?"

"Mm-hmm." She slips into bed, grateful to feel his strong, warm chest pressing against her back as they both settle. "Hope it doesn't come back."

"Just rest, babe. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay?"

Roni nods and snuggles back into him with a happy sigh. "Love you, Jim."

"Love you, too, Roni."


End file.
